


To Ink Blooming Love

by muse_in_absentia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Awkward Flirting, First Dates, M/M, Non-binary character, Pining, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23279386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muse_in_absentia/pseuds/muse_in_absentia
Summary: Sirius hasn't been pining.  Of course not.  He's only been watching the owner of the little flower shop across the street for months now because he hasn't had a chance to introduce himself yet.  Nothing else.  No, don't go ask James.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 34
Kudos: 294
Collections: HP TransFest 2020





	To Ink Blooming Love

**Author's Note:**

> A warning for very brief mention of miscarriage, just in case.
> 
> A huge thank you to [everyoneinspaceisgay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyoneinspaceisgay/pseuds/everyoneinspaceisgay) and [chasingbluefish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingbluefish/pseuds/chasingbluefish) for the amazing beta work. And also to my sensitivity readers, who shall remain nameless because I don't know anyone's status in sharing that sort of information, but who were an amazing help in polishing this thing up! You're all wonderful!!!
> 
> And lastly, to the mods, for running such a wonderful fest. Thank you all!

Sirius tromped down the steps from his flat and let himself into the small tattoo parlor on the ground floor of the building. It was several hours until the shop opened, but he preferred the atmosphere in _Black as Ink_ to his empty flat when he couldn’t sleep. 

It certainly had nothing to do with the absolutely beautiful specimen of a human being that would be opening up the flower shop across the street in approximately a half hour. 

It was a grey day, threatening rain, and the gloom was making it difficult for Sirius to properly wake up. The fact that he had only gotten four hours of sleep the night before certainly wasn’t helping with that at all, but even the faint sunlight through his window was enough to wake him, and sleep was an elusive thing on the best of days. 

The cheerful yellow awning across the street was the one bright point outside _Black as Ink_ ’s entirely glass storefront, and Sirius kept peeking back at it, trying not to fall asleep on his feet. 

_Lupin’s Lupines_ had already been there when Sirius opened his shop, along with a host of other small businesses. In the past year since he had he had leased the building, Sirius had made it a point to try and introduce himself to everyone on the street, from the Prewetts on the corner, whose coffee shop made the best coffee Sirius had ever had, to Marlene, who ran the small bookstore two doors down. It was Marlene that had confirmed for him, amidst a lot of laughter, that the owner of the shop opposite was also it’s only employee, and that his name was actually Lupin. 

Lupin remained the only one on the street he hadn’t come up with a way to meet yet. He hadn’t been on a date in longer than he could remember, and buying flowers for himself had always been futile as he managed to kill them within hours every single time. Which meant he hadn’t come up with a good excuse to visit the shop. Yet. 

With a yawn hard enough that his jaw crackled, Sirius trudged towards the back of the waiting room where there was a coffee pot that they usually kept filled for consult days. Kingsley hadn’t emptied the pot from the end of the day the day before, so Sirius carried it to the small kitchen they had at the back of the shop and dumped the residual sludge down the drain. After a quick scrub he filled the pot with water and headed back to the waiting room, pouring grounds into a filter and setting the machine to dripping. 

He flung himself on the sofa they had for clients, straightening up the portfolio books on the low glass coffee table by his feet, before closing his eyes and letting the smell of brewing coffee slowly wake him up. 

Nearly dozing, he startled when he opened his eyes again to find that the chalkboard sign outside _Lupin’s Lupines_ was propped open and the door was just swinging shut. 

Cursing to himself for missing his chance, Sirius slumped down a little in the scuffed plaid sofa, and refused to let himself sulk. Instead, he forced himself to get up, pour a cup of coffee, and boot up the shop computer to take a look at the day’s schedule and hope really hard that it was full. 

Business had been slow lately, and he was starting to have to give real thought to charging Kingsley and Caradoc for their tables. He knew that that was how most shops operated, but he had always felt guilty charging his friends to be able to work. 

Sirius engrossed himself in worrying about paying the lease on the building with only one appointment over the next three days, trying to remind himself that it was their first year open, and his name would get out there soon enough. He didn’t want to have to even consider using any of his inheritance. It hadn’t been touched yet, and he was hoping to keep it that way. 

The chirrup of the phone ringing made him jump, and he answered groggily. “Hello?” 

“Are you sitting downstairs creeping on Lupin again?” James asked by way of greeting. 

“Of course not!” Sirius said, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks, grateful that James couldn’t see him. “I’m barely out of bed yet!” 

“Sirius,” James said, laughing hard enough to snort. “I called you on the shop phone.” 

“Bugger,” Sirius sighed, dropping his head to the desk with a thunk, but keeping the phone pressed to his ear. “Did you want something, or did you just call to harass me?” 

“Why can’t I do both?” James asked, and Sirius could practically hear the smirk, and he half wanted to crawl through the phone and shake James until it disappeared. It was far too early for rational thinking, let alone the sort of defensiveness he needed to survive James when he got into a mood. 

“Because it’s early and you’re supposed to love me.” 

“I’d love you more if you’d stop moping and just cross the bloody street and introduce yourself. It’s not as if it’s all that far to walk.” 

“I’m hanging up.” 

“Wait!” James squawked. 

Sirius waited, closing his eyes and yawning loudly into the phone. 

“Actually,” James continued, sounding hesitant in a way that Sirius wasn’t used to out of him, “Lily was talking about maybe getting Harry’s handprint tattooed on her, so I thought that maybe I would pop in and get it all set up and paid for as an anniversary gift.” 

Sirius bit his tongue on any of the snarky comments he wanted to make, because it was actually a sweet gift idea. Lily would love it. 

“Yeah, okay, I have a free afternoon today, and all day tomorrow. Just drop in any time you want.” 

“Thanks, mate. I’ve got to get to work, but I’ll stop by later, okay? Maybe we’ll go down the street to _Two Beans in a Pot_ for coffee while I’m there, yeah?” 

“Yeah, that sounds –” Sirius started, but he was cut off by the sound of the phone clicking dead, but he decided not to be offended, rather simply hung up the phone and closed his eyes for a long moment. 

He finished his coffee and rinsed out his mug, before shutting down the computer and heading back up to his small flat above the shop. The shop wouldn’t open for another four hours, and he was thinking of trying to get a little more sleep. The coffee wasn’t working at all. 

The stairs creaked as he slowly hauled himself back up the stairs, regretting having gotten out of bed at all. 

Shoving the door closed behind himself, he peeled off his binder and grabbed the oversized tee-shirt he used for sleeping before flinging himself at his bed and pulling the covers back over his head. He’d try the whole being a human being thing again in a few more hours.

*

When Sirius woke the second time it was to the sound of heavy rain hitting his window, a crackling sound that felt like thunder. He pried his eyes open and blinked blearily at the clock. 11:57AM. 

“Bugger,” he hissed to himself, tumbling out of bed, legs still caught in the blankets, and tumbling to the floor with a thump. 

His phone buzzed from somewhere tangled in the blankets, and he scrambled to find it, thankful he hadn’t rolled on it in his sleep and cracked the screen. Again. 

Finally, he tugged all the bedding off his bed, and his phone came falling out and landed at his knees where he was still sitting on the floor. Swiping it open he saw a text from Kingsley. 

**Heard you fall. No apts. Don’t hurt yourself getting down here on time.**

Heat flooded his face, but Sirius managed to send back a thumbs up before finally slowly clambering off the floor and pulling his binder back on, and then throwing on a plain black shirt, which had become his work uniform. He figured out when he first opened the shop that if he never wore anything else his co-workers would think it was because he was weird, and not because he was trying to hide the fact that he regularly spilled ink on himself, and now his binder was stained and would show through any lighter colored shirts. Eventually he really ought to just buy a new one, but this one still worked, and it was an expense he wasn’t ready to spend if he didn’t have to. 

Deciding to take Kingsley to heart, he gave himself a couple of minutes of dismay, before trudging to his small bathroom and pulling out his kit for his weekly injection. Had had been putting it off for days, and he finally admitted that he was never going to want to deal with it, so it was best to just get it over with. 

Glowering at the thick, oily liquid he drew the correct amount into the syringe before swapping out the needle. He paused to remember which thigh he had used last, then swabbed the other with an alcohol wipe before quickly stabbing himself, aspirating the needle to make sure he had injected cleanly. 

He spent so long stabbing needles into other people that this shouldn’t have been difficult, but every single time he had to give himself his injection he needed to talk himself up to it. He hated relying on it, even though he always felt better after it was over with. In the end it was worth it, but he did have to remind himself of that every time. 

Shot over with for the week, Sirius pulled on his favorite jeans and finally decided he was as ready to face the day as he was going to get. At least it sounded like the rain was letting up. 

Yawning, he tried to keep his feet under him as he tumbled down the stairs, already searching for coffee, despite knowing that Kingsley wouldn’t have brewed a new pot and that the pot he had brewed that morning would almost certainly be cold. 

He was so focused on the coffee that it took him a moment after entering the waiting area of the shop to realize that Kingsley wasn’t alone. The first thing he saw was a riot of ash brown curls that he immediately wanted to sink his fingers into and _tug_. Then he saw the warm brown eyes, and he immediately recognized Lupin from across the street. 

His feet suddenly stopped working and Sirius stumbled over nothing, feeling heat rise in his cheeks as he made an effort to pretend he wasn’t there, and not so much as glance at their unexpected customer. 

Kingsley chuckled and Sirius made a mental note to fire him as soon as he remembered how words worked. 

“Once you’re actually awake there, Sirius, Remus here wants some flowers, and I think that’s really more up your alley than mine.” 

Swearing under his breath, Sirius turned around, without having managed to get any coffee, and flashed his most charming smile, aware that it was probably a little wobbly around the edges and hoping it would pass for exhaustion. He had never been this flustered in his life, and he could only hope that coffee would let him be able to work with Lupin – Remus – without making a total arse of himself. 

“Of course!” Sirius said brightly. “Let me just get myself some coffee so I don’t fall asleep on you and then we’ll talk. Would anyone else like some coffee? I think I need to make a new batch.” He was babbling, and he knew he was, but Sirius kept up hope that no one noticed. 

“I would love some, actually,” Remus said quietly, voice just a little hoarse. 

Sirius took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was a grown adult and could handle talking to attractive people that he had been meaning to get to know anyway and that this was all fine, he would be fine, he could actually still breathe. “Just let me run to the back and wash out this cold batch and we can chat about flowers,” Sirius said, proud that he managed to sound relatively normal. 

Without waiting for a reply, Sirius ducked back past the small studio rooms and stumbled his way into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and willing his heartrate to slow back to normal. 

“You think Remus is cute,” Kingsley laughed quietly, joining him in the kitchen. 

Sirius glared, but he knew there was no way that Remus could hear what they were saying, so he didn’t hush Kingsley the way he wanted to. “It’s not like that’s news,” he muttered instead, forcing himself to stand up from the counter and wash out the coffee pot. 

“No, but now you have to actually have a conversation, and it’s kind of funny how flustered you are. I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t witnessing it myself.” 

Sirius snorted, but strangely felt a little better. If Kingsley was laughing at him it couldn’t be that bad. “Oh, fuck off, Kingsley, we all know I’m never anything less than a complete mess at all times. Please try and keep up.” 

“Just get back out there and do something about it, we’re all tired of watching you mope.” 

Flipping him off, Sirius took the fresh coffee pot back out to the lobby and set it percolating, flashing Remus a smile that he hoped didn’t look too besotted. Or too creepy. That was always a possibility, too, despite his best efforts, mostly thanks to genetics and a propensity for being slightly intense on occasion. 

Remus just gave him a slightly bemused smile in return, sitting on the sofa idly flipping through the portfolio books that all the artists left for potential clients to peruse. 

“Your art is beautiful,” Remus said, not looking at Sirius, fingers slowly dragging across a realistically done family of deer under a large elm tree that Sirius had been particularly proud of. It spanned across James’ upper back, at his left shoulder, and was one of the first pieces Sirius had ever done, back when he was still learning and James had volunteered himself for Sirius to practice on. It was still his favorite work. 

He didn’t say any of that, though. Instead he just sat next to Remus, and let his own fingers trail over where the tree branched up James’ neck. “Thank you.” 

They sat in silence for a long moment, the smell of fresh coffee permeating the room, and doing a lot for banishing the last dregs of drowsiness from Sirius. Taking a deep breath, he settled back against the cushions and realized that cute or not, Remus was just another client, and he could, in fact, handle those. 

“So, Kingsley said something about flowers,” Sirius started, forcing himself to look at Remus. “Let’s start with the easy questions, where do you want your tattoo?” 

Remus blinked at him a couple of times, as if startled by the question. Sirius frowned slightly, hoping he hadn’t been too abrupt. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone just knew how tattoos worked. He probably ought to get more clients that weren’t his friends. Or maybe more friends that weren’t his clients. 

Taking a deep breath, Sirius tried again. “Sorry about that, sometimes I get a little overzealous. Let’s try this again. Hi, I’m Sirius. I’ll be your tattoo artist, if you’ll have me. How can I help you?” 

Thankfully, that just made Remus laugh. It was a nice laugh, rough and rolling, and it made Sirius smile in return. “I was hoping for a chest piece,” Remus said, finally, still chuckling. 

“Oh, that’s extensive for a first tattoo. Wait, is this your first tattoo?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Remus grinned, arching an eyebrow and making Sirius choke on his tongue. 

“Firstly, are you flirting with me? Secondly, actually, professionally, I would like to know. It impacts what both you and I expect out of the process.” 

The tips of Remus’ ears had gone pink, and Sirius found it far more adorable than he probably should, but he forced himself to look away, to get up and pour some coffee from the fresh pot, and bring two mugs back to the table. “There’s powdered creamer for the average customer, but since no one else is here, there’s real milk in the breakroom if you’d like.” 

“This is fine,” Remus said, picking up the mug and taking a long mouthful of black coffee and not even wincing at the bitter taste. “And maybe I was flirting a little. You’re very attractive.” 

Sirius poured the sugar packet he had just opened all over the counter. Remus just laughed again, but also refused to look Sirius in the face. 

Ignoring the way his face was heating up, Sirius grinned a little to himself. “You’re pretty damned cute yourself. I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to cross the street and ask you out for months. A little flirting isn’t going to scare me off.” 

“Good to know,” Remus murmured, cheeks heating to match ears that were still pink. Sirius grinned and kind of wanted to taste that flush, see how far down it went, but he reined himself in. “But back on track, here. I’m not actually thinking anything that extensive. Just a vine of flowers. I have a list.” A piece of paper appeared almost out of nowhere and was offered to Sirius, who took it, letting their fingers brush. 

**White chrysanthemum – truth**  
**Calla lily – beauty**  
**Narcissus – self love**  
**Dark pink rose – thankfulness**  
**Chamomile – patience**  
**Edelweiss- courage, devotion**  
**Lotus – rebirth**  
**Thyme – strength, courage**

Sirius gave the list a once over, fully aware that he wouldn’t recognize most of the flowers on it if he were standing in a garden of them, but wanting at least some idea of what he was committing to. It read like a love letter to self-actualization and it made Sirius smile just a little bit. If he had been more of a floral person he might have even appreciated the idea for himself. As it was, he was looking forward to painting Remus’ skin with blooms of growth and rebirth. He was also very curious as to what inspired them, but refrained from asking. If Remus ever wanted him to know, he’d find out then. Curiosity wasn’t a good reason for prying. 

“I know you’re the flower expert here, but I don’t believe most of these grow on vines. Are you sure you don’t want a field or something instead?” he asked slowly, reading the list more closely, and looking for any flowers he recognized. 

A quick headshake had curls falling into Remus’ eyes and Sirius had to blink, hard. “No. I definitely want a vine. I chose the flowers for their meanings rather than their appearances, which you can probably tell from my list. I’m willing to take a little artistic license.” 

“All right, then,” Sirius shrugged. “It’s your body. Normally I’d schedule you for a consult sometime next week and have a drawing sketched out for you then, but I have nothing on my schedule for the rest of the day, so if you’d like to hang around while I draw, maybe I can work up the nerve to ask you to dinner.” 

Remus laughed outright and actually nudged Sirius’ shoulder. “How about I just agree to dinner now, and then we can flirt while you draw?” 

“That actually sounds lovely. Although, I have to warn you, my best friend is stopping by at some undisclosed point in time today, and if you’re still here he _will_ take the piss. Apparently, I’ve been unbearable.” 

“Oh, thank fuck. At least I’m not the only one who’s been pining,” Remus grinned, reaching for the list. “Would it help if I came back with pictures of all of these? I have most of them in the shop.” 

Sirius startled, then smiled. “Actually, yes, that would be amazing.” 

“Or,” Remus hedged, shoulders squaring up, eyes finally meeting Sirius’. “You could come over with me while I take the pictures, maybe snog in the back room for a little while where your co-worker can’t catch us.” 

“That would also be amazing.” 

After a quick text to Kingsley that he was running out for a little bit and would be back before Kingsley’s appointment so the front wasn’t unattended, Sirius let Remus walk him across the street and into the small flower shop. 

The first thing he noticed was the smell, fresh green, bright, and almost tangy. The floral scent that followed was almost an undernote, which surprised Sirius. Some of that must have shown on his face, because Remus chuckled. “Too many flowers start to smell like some old lady’s perfume. Or worse, those bowls of potpourri that people used to put out in the loo. So, I’ve hidden air fresheners around the shop to sort of boost the smell of the greenery and make the flowers less overwhelming.” 

Sirius laughed. “Clever.” 

“I wish I could take credit for it, but the idea was all Mum’s. For all she loved to garden, so much that she opened this shop just to have flowers year-round, she hated the smell of them. I mostly kept it up out of habit.” 

“It’s still brilliant. You’re brilliant. Can I kiss you?” 

“Yeah. Please.” 

Sirius leaned in for what he meant to be a brief kiss, just to test the waters, but Remus’ hands came up and tangled in his hair almost immediately, and Sirius felt himself leaning into the kiss, arms sliding around Remus’ hips and pulling them tightly together. One hand slipped under the edges of Remus’ shirt and Remus shivered against him. The skin was warm, and Sirius allowed himself just that, just the very tips of his fingers brushing lightly against the edges of Remus’ ribs, tasting Remus’ tongue. 

Eventually it was Remus that pulled back, slowly, eyes heavy and breathing labored. “I should... get the pictures.” 

“Right, of course,” Sirius breathed, letting go reluctantly. He took a few steps back to collect himself and nearly tripped over a bucket of long stem roses, sloshing water on the floor and over his pantleg. “Fuck,” he hissed quietly, but Remus just laughed. 

“It’s fine. This place sees more water on the floor than I would like to admit to. I’m not generally awake enough to water things in the mornings before business picks up. That and I’m just clumsy. It’ll dry.” 

“I promise I’m not actually this awkward usually,” Sirius muttered, scrubbing a hand through his hair. 

“It’s kind of cute, honestly,” Remus shrugged, pulling out a cell phone and snapping a few pictures. 

Sirius watched for a few minutes, not saying anything, not entirely sure what to say, but enjoying the company anyway. It wasn’t often he knew how to be quiet with someone, but this didn’t feel strained or awkward at all. He leaned against the counter and watched Remus take pictures for a few minutes before breaking the silence. 

“You can just email those to me and I’ll print them out at the shop. We have a high-quality printer just for this purpose.” 

“You have a high-quality printer just for flower pictures?” 

Sirius laughed. “Not exactly. But sort of, yes. For reference pictures. After the number of grainy, pixelated, garbage pictures people were bringing in, I just decided that do all reference printing on site, so no one could complain about the quality of the work they got off of terrible images.” 

Remus blinked a couple of times then laughed as well. “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, actually.” Remus tucked the phone away, smiling. “Well, I think that’s the best I can do. A few of these I may need to find on the internet, because I apparently don’t have them all in stock.” 

“Well, then, why don’t you do that over in my shop while I print out what you do have?” 

Before Remus had a chance to answer Sirius’ phone started to ring. 

“Fuck,” he muttered softly, glancing at the screen to see that it was the shop. “What exploded?” he asked as soon as he answered. 

Kingsley laughed at him. “Nothing, but James is here, and when I told him you were across the street he told me to get both of you back here immediately or he wouldn’t believe me.” 

Sirius dropped his head into his free hand, nearly dropping his phone in the process, and acknowledging in his own head, that it was a melodramatic move done mostly to see if he could get Remus to laugh. It worked, and he grinned. “Fine, I’ll head back.” 

“Bring Remus with you. Give James the satisfaction. If you want him to stick around he’s going to have to get used to James eventually anyway.” 

Sirius hung up on him. 

“Everything okay?” Remus asked, leaning against the counter by the till. 

“My best mate showed up and is wondering why I’ve abandoned my post. It seems he doesn’t believe you’re real. Fancy coming back across the street and proving him wrong?” 

“Is this your way of asking me to come get approval from your friends before committing to dinner with me?” 

“Not even a little bit,” Sirius shrugged, tucking his phone back into his pocket and offering a hand to Remus, who threaded their fingers together like they had been holding hands for years. “This is my way of asking you to come and see if you can put up with my insane friends before deciding if you still want to say yes to dinner.” 

Remus chuckled, leading Sirius back out of _Lupin’s Lupines_ and locking the door behind them. “I’ve been watching you like a creep from my shop window for months. I can’t imagine your friends are going to scare me off now.” 

Sirius didn’t even manage to push the door to _Black as Ink_ open all the way before James latched himself to Sirius’ side, an arm reaching around to pat Remus on the shoulder. Kingsley seemed to have vanished into the back somewhere, not that Sirius could blame him. If he could miss this interaction himself he probably would. 

“Bloody fuck, mate, you’re real! We were all starting to wonder if Sirius here was going to pine forever. And here you come, sauntering in like this has been your evil plan all along! I’m James, please marry him so he finally shuts up about how gorgeous he thinks you are!” 

“James, mate, please at least remember to breathe while accosting people you haven’t even met yet,” Sirius growled, taking a large step back, causing James to tumble to the floor, where he sat grinning widely. 

“You’d think a wife and kid would have mellowed him out, but sadly, that hasn’t seemed to be the case. Remus, please excuse my mess of a friend. He means well.” 

Remus just chuckled and dropped a pointy chin onto Sirius’ shoulder. “I don’t know, he seems like a lot. It’s a good thing you seem like you’re worth it.” 

James grinned and hauled himself up off the floor. “Ooh, I like...” he trailed off and turned to Remus. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your pronouns.” 

Remus blinked at James and smiled a small, shy little smile, looking cautiously pleased with the question. Sirius decided he could forgive James a lot in that moment. 

“Oh, um, they/them, please,” Remus answered quietly, and Sirius breathed an internal sigh of relief at finally knowing. He’d have to find a way to thank James later. 

“Well, I like you,” James said, addressing Remus directly. “I was going to try and steal Sirius down to _Two Beans in a Pot_ for a late lunch and to talk tattoos, but I think you should come with us.” He paused and grinned. “Unless you have to get back to work or something.” 

Remus turned to look between Sirius and James for a long moment, then finally shrugged. “I probably should get back to the shop, honestly. What time are you done tonight?” 

Trying not to grin too hard, Sirius refused to look at James. “Well, we close at eight, but I don’t have any appointments, so just come on over when you close up shop. We can play it by ear, if that works for you.” 

“Absolutely,” they said, nudging Sirius’ shoulder before slipping out the door and crossing back to their own shop. 

“Do you have a date?” James asked, clapping Sirius on the shoulder and startling him into turning away from watching Remus. 

“Possibly,” Sirius smirked. “Oi, Kingsley!” he called, leaning through the doorway and shouting down the hall towards the kitchen. “James and I are going down to _Two Beans in a Pot_. Text me if you need me for anything.” 

“So, same as every other day, got it,” Kingsley replied, walking out of the kitchen and taking up a seat behind the front desk as if he’d been there the whole time. 

Sirius shook his head, but was in too good a mood to let Kingsley’s needling get to him. Instead, he let James drag him out the door and down the street a couple of buildings to the small coffeeshop owned by the Prewett twins. 

Fabian was behind the counter, taking what sounded like an overly complex order from a group of university students who had tumbled into the shop looking for an out of the way place to study. Gideon was wiping down tables, and nodded at Sirius and James as they walked in, the little bell over the door announcing their entrance. 

Tucking his rag into his apron, Gideon waved them over to the table he had just finished cleaning. “The usual, you two?” 

“And a couple of your roast sandwiches, please,” Sirius added, nodding. “And thank you.” 

“Did you forget breakfast again, Black?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sirius said loftily, dropping into one of the wooden seats, and ignoring the way Gideon laughed. 

“Put an extra shot of espresso in his drink, would you Gideon?” James asked. “He’s got a date tonight, and he’s going to need to be awake for it.” 

“James,” Sirius hissed, hating the way he sounded like he was whinging. “Can I at least have the date before you go announcing it to the whole world?” 

“I won’t ask you about it, then,” Gideon grinned, but when he came back out with their food Sirius’ plate had one of the lemon blueberry scones he loved on the edge. He was fairly sure he hadn’t seen any in the pastry case. 

“So,” Sirius started, not giving James a chance to get sidetracked. “Do you actually know what it is that Lily wants?” 

“I do, actually,” James grinned around a mouthful of sandwich, making Sirius wince. “She wants the handprint they took in the hospital at his birth over her heart. She’s been talking about it for the last two months.” He shrugged and neither of them brought up why that was. Sirius had been there when James and Lily got the news that her miscarriage had left her unable to have any more children, and he knew not to bring it up. 

“Do you have a clean, clear copy of the handprint?” Sirius asked, instead, making sure to keep the focus of the conversation on the good things coming, rather than the things that lead there. “Because I don’t want to have to cut it out of the medical paperwork.” 

“I can get one.” 

Sirius nodded, taking a long pull on his coffee, noting that Gideon really had added an extra shot of espresso to it, and giving himself a minute to dig his phone out of his pocket. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour. I’m not sure it will even take that long. I can toss you on the schedule Monday, Thursday or Friday of next week.” 

“Put us down for Friday after I get out of work. I’ll tell her I’m taking her out to dinner.” 

Grinning, Sirius put the appointment in his calendar. Normally he wouldn’t condone surprising someone with a tattoo, might even turn someone away if they mentioned it, but he knew Lily well enough to know that she would love this, and that James knew he knew, so he let it go. 

James handed him £400, and Sirius balked. “That’s too much.” 

“It really isn’t. That’s what you would charge someone who wasn’t your friend. At least, that’s what you _should_ charge someone who isn’t your friend.” 

“I’m not going to take that from you,” Sirius insisted, picking up his sandwich and dutifully ignoring the bills laid out in front of him. 

“Then I’m giving it to Kingsley to pay you. Either way you’re taking it, so you might as well pick it up now and save us both the hassle.” James glared at Sirius until he ducked his head and scooped up the bills, stuffing them into his pocket. He’d find a way to sneak some of it back to James later. 

With a nod, James drained the last of his coffee and slowly leveraged himself out of his seat. “I have to get back to the office. Lily and I will be by on Friday. And thanks again for this.” 

Sirius watched him leave, but didn’t bother to get back up. He had no appointments, no work to do in the shop, and if anyone stopped by looking to book with him Kingsley would text. Instead, he flagged Gideon down for a second coffee, and pulled out a sketching app on his phone. It was a terrible program that wasn’t good for much more than killing time and roughing out ideas, but it was easily portable, and Sirius didn’t feel like walking back to grab a sketch pad. 

He started marking out loose vines, taking into account the contours of the human chest as best as he could having only seen said chest through a loose jumper. From there he started grabbing colors and simply blocking out rough color patches that were aesthetically pleasing without looking too planned or too chaotic. It was nothing more than a rough idea, but it was something to occupy his hands and his brain so he didn’t stress out over the idea of a date in a couple of hours. 

It was only when the third mug appeared in front of him, containing steaming chamomile tea rather than more coffee that Sirius realized he had been sitting there for hours. 

“I’m cutting you off,” Gideon said, pushing the mug at him. “If you have any more caffeine you will jitter out of your skin before you make it to your date. Go, please be on your best behavior with Lupin. The whole street is tired of watching the two of you pine.” 

“How did you –?” 

“Because if it isn’t Lupin, I am going to have to knock your heads together.” 

Sirius could feel his cheeks getting warm, but he grinned a little anyway. “Yeah, okay.” 

Swatting him on the shoulder, Gideon smiled back. “Get out of here. And Sirius?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Good luck, okay? You two could be good for each other.” 

“Thanks. I, uh, I think we could, too.” 

Grateful that Remus had had to get back to work and therefore spared Sirius of having witnesses to how awkward he got while thinking about them, he packed up his things, left a generous tip in the jar by the till, and stepped outside. 

The rain from that morning was threatening to come back, a light mist leaving Sirius feeling damp and clammy by the time he made it the few buildings back to _Black as Ink_. He was just about to head into the shop and fling himself on the waiting room couch, rather than spend the next twenty minutes pacing, but he spotted Remus coming out of their own shop and locking the door, the folding chalkboard sign already gone inside. 

He fought the urge to wave and grin goofily, instead choosing to just wait for them patiently, or as patient as he ever was, until they caught up. 

“Hey,” Remus said quietly, smiling. 

Sirius debated with himself for about three solid seconds before giving in and stealing a quick kiss. “Come on in,” Sirius said when he pulled back. “I just need to run upstairs and change into some dry clothes.” He spotted Kingsley closing down the computer system early, and decided to let him leave early instead of babysitting the shop any longer. “In fact, why don’t you just come up with me, so poor Kingsley can stop watching my shop for me and go home on time today.” 

Kingsley waved a hand at him in clear dismissal, not looking up from the computer, but Sirius decided he liked this plan, so he pretended he didn’t see Kingsley. 

“Are you sure?” Remus asked, their brow furrowing. 

“If that will make you uncomfortable then by all means, hang out down here. I’ll only be a few minutes. But if not, then I’m absolutely sure.” 

They hesitated for a brief moment, but nodded with a shy smile, allowing Sirius to lead them to the back door, which opened to a small hallway, with a back door outside as well as the stairs that led up to Sirius’ flat. Sirius forced himself not to keep glancing behind him as he climbed the stairs, trusting that Remus wouldn’t turn around and flee, and that if they did Sirius wouldn’t do anything about it anyway. 

He unlocked the door and stepped aside, letting Remus press past him into the small flat. There were a few coffee cups in the sink, and his bottle of testosterone was still on the counter where he had left it that morning, but the flat was mostly clean. 

Remus stepped into the small kitchen, glancing around curiously, and Sirius saw the exact moment their eyes settled on the bottle of hormones, widening slightly, but then continuing around the room as if nothing had happened. Sirius let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding, and closed the door behind him. 

“Let me just change and then we can decide what we’re doing,” Sirius said, stepping around Remus, grabbing the bottle of testosterone and taking it back to the small bathroom beside his bedroom, and putting it in the cabinet where it belonged. “Feel free to look around,” he called out, belatedly, before ducking into the bedroom and closing the door. 

He gave himself a solid sixty seconds to let his nerves get the better of him, flopping face first on the bed and muffling a groan with his pillow. It had been so long since he had been on a date that he couldn’t remember how to do this, but he didn’t think the best move was to keep Remus waiting. 

He forced himself to get back up, and grab a pair of black jeans out of the closet, stuffing himself into them. Peeling off the tee shirt he had been wearing, and adjusting his binder, he pulled on a pale green button down, running his fingers through his hair, and hoping he didn’t look like he was trying too hard. 

When he finally emerged from his bedroom it was to find Remus hovering at the edge of his sofa, not sitting. 

“You could have sat down, you know,” Sirius said by way of greeting. 

“You weren’t here to ask,” Remus shrugged, and Sirius wanted to kiss them again for being so thoughtful, and to shake them for being so hesitant and wary. 

“Well, I’m here now, and I’m telling you to make yourself comfortable while we decide what the plan is.” 

Remus gave him a long look, but finally sat down on the edge of the sofa. 

Sirius sighed, and flung himself down on the sofa beside Remus, tugging them back until they were settled into the sofa properly, half leaned in to Sirius’ side. 

“Okay, now, what are your feelings on dinner?” 

“Good meal, a nice way to end a day, a solid choice for getting necessary food into your system.” Remus smirked. “Oh, were you asking about taking me out for dinner?” 

Laughing, Sirius nudged their shoulder with his own. “Well, I was, but now I think I really just want to kiss you again first, if that’s all right.” 

Instead of answering, Remus leaned in and pressed their mouth to Sirius for a brief moment. “How about we order in, and get to know each other without the hassle of talking over crowds, or having to refrain from snogging if we so choose.” 

“I think that sounds perfect, and I might already want to marry you,” Sirius joked, hoping Remus couldn’t tell how close he was to really meaning it already. He had never met anyone he connected with as quickly as he did with them, and he was hoping it wasn’t just the high of a first date, because he didn’t want it to end. 

“There’s a fabulous Thai place around the corner that does some of the best curry I’ve ever had,” Remus offered, casually lacing their fingers through Sirius’ like it was something they did every day and not something that was making Sirius forget how to breathe. 

“I know that place, actually, and that sounds like exactly what I want tonight.” 

Remus stole another quick kiss before standing up to pull their phone out of their pocket. “I’ll call, you find us something to watch?” 

“I can do that,” Sirius said, knowing that on some level this was a test. Or, if not a test, at least a proving ground. If he picked wrong it wouldn’t necessarily ruin the date, but picking the correct movie would be a solid point in his favor. Queueing up his Netflix he flicked through some movies before settling on a low budget horror movie. That way it wasn’t something that took so much attention they couldn’t eat or talk through it, but it would span the range of horror, action, and often comedy all at once. A solid mashup of enough things that he felt confident it would at least not be a terrible choice. 

When Remus came back from ordering the food they sat much closer to Sirius than they had been at first, and Sirius smiled to himself, letting their arms brush and preening internally when Remus didn’t pull away. 

They looked at the screen for a moment, then grinned. “Bad horror. Good choice. I’m always up for a good laugh.” 

Sirius internally congratulated himself on a good selection, and then put a couple of extra centimeters of space between himself and Remus. When they frowned at him, he sighed. 

“I have this overwhelming urge to snog you until the food gets here, and then let the food get cold while I snog you some more,” Sirius said, wanting to smooth out the little lines between Remus’ eyes. “But this is our first date. Hell, we only really met today. I thought it might be wise to remove at least the edge off the temptation.” 

Remus snorted and very deliberately leaned back into Sirius’ side. “I thought the entire point of ordering in was the freedom to snog all we wanted.” 

Sirius didn’t say anything, not wanting to admit that he hadn’t been sure they had meant it, but Remus seemed to pick up on what he was feeling anyway. 

“You didn’t think I meant it, did you?” 

“It’s more that I didn’t want to assume that all I wanted was the same thing as all you wanted. It seems a little soon for that.” 

Remus shrugged and then tangled their fingers together, drawing Sirius’ attention to their hands, and then up to their face where they gave him a small smile. 

“You weren’t a git about my pronouns. Hell, your best friend thought to ask before assuming. You’re sweet enough to be worried about pushing my boundaries. That’s enough for me for now.” 

Sirius squeezed their hand, before giving in and stealing a brief kiss. “I know you saw my hormones, it would be pretty hypocritical to judge you for your pronouns.” 

“Well, then, I’ve met a lot of hypocrites,” Remus grumbled, which made Sirius want to wrap an arm around them and hold them until the world stopped being so idiotic. After a couple of long seconds he realized that the move may not be inappropriate, so he unlaced their fingers, and tucked Remus under his arm. They were just settling against his chest when the buzzer sounded, and Sirius slumped a little, which made Remus laugh. 

“Go pay for the food, I’m not going anywhere,” they said, sitting up and putting space between them and Sirius, effectively forcing the issue. 

Heaving himself off the sofa, Sirius went down stairs to the back door to pay the delivery girl for their food, making sure to tip her well above normal. He knew what it was like to rely on tips to make a living. 

Thankfully, the food smelled delicious, and by the time he got back up to his flat Remus was digging through his kitchen cupboards. Sirius grinned at the complete change in just a few minutes, from the person who wasn’t even willing to sit on the sofa without permission. 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Remus said, as soon as Sirius closed the door behind himself. “I was looking for plates.” 

“Cabinet to your left. Help yourself.” 

Remus, following instructions, found the plates and pulled out two while Sirius grabbed glasses and forks. “I don’t have much besides water and beer at the moment,” he said, ducking his head. “I wasn’t really planning on having company when I got up this morning.” 

“Water is fine.” 

Filling the glasses, Sirius led Remus back to the sofa and started the movie. 

They ate in silence for the first few minutes, but before long they were throwing jeers at the movie, laughing, food nearly forgotten as they leaned into each other. It took most of the movie before they made it through the food, and Sirius paused to clear up the dishes. 

Then he decided to take a risk. He hadn’t felt so comfortable around another person so quickly since he met James back at boarding school. So, he slipped into his bedroom for a moment and disposed of the button down, peeling off his binder and throwing on a baggy tee shirt. His ribs settled a little, and he took a deep breath before heading back to the movie. 

Remus gave him a rueful grin as he sat back down, flashing Remus a hesitant smile in return. 

“Wish I could get comfortable, too,” Remus said, tugging at the hem of their own jumper. 

“I could offer you a tee shirt, although I suspect it’ll be approximately three sizes too large on you.” 

Remus just nodded, apparently understanding Sirius’ code for _I buy all my shirts huge for the times I don’t have my binder on_. He had to close his eyes for a moment at the wave of gratitude that washed over him at having someone he didn’t have to explain it to. 

“That’s fine. I would love that, actually.” 

Sirius got up again and went in search of a clean shirt, eventually pulling out the softest one he could find. 

“Here,” he offered, tossing it at Remus and accidentally hitting them in the head. ”Shite, sorry.” 

Remus just shrugged and stood, peeling off their jumper as if having Sirius see them half undressed wasn’t a big deal, as if it wasn’t making Sirius’ heart beat erratically in his chest. He went to turn around, but Remus waved him off as if reading his mind. 

“It’s fine,” they laughed. ”I’ve been taking every chance I can get to walk around shirtless now that I can.” 

As the jumper was peeled away Sirius noticed the fine lines of surgical scarring, and just nodded, understanding the urge. 

“I never settled on surgery being worth it, for me, but I can completely understand wanting to not have to hide behind bulky clothes anymore. If I suddenly woke up magically without these things I’d probably do the same.” 

They settled back onto the sofa together, and Sirius felt his chest tighten a little at the sight of Remus in his clothes. He liked the idea more than he probably should for a first date. 

“Is that why you want a chest tattoo?” He asked suddenly. ”To cover up the scars?” 

Remus shook their head. “No, actually I want to use the scars as the base for the vines, with the flowers blooming off of them. Rebirth and starting over because I could finally manage to have it done and all that.” 

Sirius smiles, and leaned in to kiss them. ”That’s one of the best reasons to get a tattoo I’ve heard. Why don’t you pick out a second movie and I’ll do some sketching. If I’m lucky I might even be able to get you in this week.” 

As Remus queued up a movie Sirius dug out one of the many sketchbooks he had laying around all over the flat. They settled in, Remus dropping their head onto Sirius’ shoulder, and giving him opinions, both on the tattoo design and the movie. Sirius pressed the odd kiss to their temple, feeling so domestic it hurt, and feeling hopeful that that feeling was going to continue for a long time.


End file.
